Dunne Speaks: Chatham Islands

I have spent the last few
days on the Chatham Islands where the problems and issues of
Wellington have seemed far away as we discussed the reality
of life for the 600 or so souls who inhabit the main island.
For example, our visit to Pitt Island coincided with the
arrival of the supply vessel, which mean that about 30 or
the island’s 50 residents gathered on the local wharf to
welcome it and watch as their supplies were
offloaded.

Back on the main island much interest in recent
days has focused on the towing of a barge containing a large
crane over to Pitt to assist with the reconstruction of the
island’s wharf. The tow was the main topic of conversation
in many of our meetings, and the sense of relief palpable
when the tow began, and especially when it was completed
successfully.

These stories may appear trivial to some,
but their predominance is an inevitable focus of life on
small isolated island communities, where the sense of
engagement will always be that much stronger.

Discussions
with local people drive home a real sense of reality: the
quest for opportunity, and the high cost of living. Fuel and
energy costs, for example, account for well over half most
household budgets, and there is the inexorable drift of
population west to New Zealand for education and
employment.

In these circumstances one might be forgiven
for anticipating a sense of expectation that New Zealand is
a sugar-daddy to hand out largesse to the Chathams as
required, but that is absolutely not the case. I saw a
strong sense of self-determination and pride, with the
prevailing wish that the Chathams should shape their own
destiny, then work in partnership with New Zealand to
achieve that.

Now all this raises questions about New
Zealand’s current approach. We have carved out a fine
record in recent years in our relationships with many of our
Pacific neighbours, with whom we have enduring
relationships, based very much on providing practical
assistance and material aid to assist them achieve their
priorities. We are justifiably proud of what we have done in
this space, and rightly so.

This is the same spirit and
tangible approach we need to follow with the Chathams. They
are, after all, an inalienable part of our country and our
closest offshore territory, excluding the islands of the
Hauraki Gulf.

My time on the Chathams was enjoyable and
inspiring, and a welcome relief to the psychoactive
substances drama I have been dealing with in recent weeks.
As one of the locals said to me before I boarded the plane,
“you’re lucky, we have no legal highs here, we just go
for the real
stuff!”

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